Previously…
– Spencer confronted Elly about the night of Loretta’s murder and admitted that the betrayal stings so hard because he has developed feelings for her. Thrown, Elly accidentally revealed that Travis had been at the Ragan home on the night Loretta died, too.
– After Spencer reported what Elly had told him, Brent and the King’s Bay police conducted searches of both Elly and Travis’s homes. An officer found something at the Jimenez home where Travis and Rosie have been staying.
– Sienna happily agreed to let Noelle begin spending time with Isaac, though she secretly hoped that co-parenting would bring them back together.
– Finn put the screws to Trevor to continue subsidizing his rent in exchange for remaining quiet about their tryst, but the encounter turned into Trevor consoling Finn about his run of bad luck. Alex happened upon the scene.

“What’s going on here?”

Alex Marshall‘s voice cuts clean through the heavy emotion of the shared moment between Trevor Brooks and Finn Campbell. The two men sit across from one another at a table inside Cassie’s Coffee House, as the moody, folksy music of Phoebe Bridgers thrums in the air. At the sound of his husband’s voice, Trevor instinctively releases his grip on Finn’s arm, and Finn leans back in his chair, quickly swiping at his face as if that might erase any hint of emotion.

“Hey, babe,” Trevor says, smiling up at Alex. “What are you doing here?”

“Just stopping in for an iced coffee before I go pick up Chase.” Alex’s gaze lingers on the tabletop, like he is still scanning for traces of the close contact between Trevor and Finn. “How about you?”

“I, uh, came in to grab a coffee and saw Finn sitting here,” Trevor explains. He pushes out his chair and stands. “He’s having a tough time of it and was filling me in. That’s all.”

“I’m having the worst time finding work,” Finn adds. “Trevor was nice enough to let me word-vomit all over him.”

“Ah,” Alex replies flatly. “That’s too bad.”

The afternoon sunlight filtering in through the window frames the three of them in an awkward tableau.

“We were brainstorming,” Trevor says, “and he kinda…”

Finn holds up both hands. “I’m having a pity party. It’s stupid. Being out of work does things to your ego, you know?”

“Mm-hmm,” Alex says. He folds his arms across his chest and slowly nods. “That’s tough. I’m sorry. Although…”

Trevor and Finn both look sharply at Alex.

“If you’ve been out of work all this time,” he says, “how have you been covering the rent on the house all by yourself?”

Trevor freezes, his mind scrambling for something — anything — that will sound believable. But his head suddenly feels as empty as it’s ever been. Finn’s eyes flick toward Trevor’s in a quick, almost imperceptible flash of alarm.

—–

After the police depart — with whatever they found during their search — Travis Fisher goes to the second story of the Jimenez home, intending to take a shower. He goes into the slightly cramped hallway bathroom, locks the door, and turns on the shower. Instead of getting in, however, he takes his iPhone from the pocket of his shorts and, after a moment’s hesitation, places a call.

Elly Vanderbilt picks up on the second ring.

“What’s going on, Travis? It’s not a great time,” she says, her voice jagged with irritation.

“It’s not exactly Christmas morning over here, either,” Travis replies. “Brent was just here with two cops and a search warrant.”

“What? They came here, too. They searched my apartment and Jimmy and Kathleen‘s place.”

His whole body tenses even harder than before, like a fist being squeezed so tightly that it threatens to explode. “What did you tell them, Elly?”

“I didn’t tell them anything! I’m serious, Travis.”

He is careful to keep his voice at a husky whisper, all too aware that Rosie is downstairs. His chest throbs with guilt. “Then why would they have come here? That witness ID’d you, but no one knew–“

“Dammit,” Elly says, cutting him off.

“What?”

Frustrating, interminable silence stretches over the line for too many seconds.

“Spencer,” she says. “He knows I saw you at the house.”

“He what? How?”

Another excruciating pause. The steady stream of the water splashing against the inside of the tub fills the room.

“I slipped up,” Elly admits. “I’m sorry. Truly. But he must have gone right to my uncle and told him.”

“Shit.” He says it less to her than to himself, the word a vapor that he pushes out through his clenched teeth. “I think they… I think they found something.”

“What could they have found, Travis?” she asks, though it sounds more like an accusation than a question.

“I don’t know! I don’t know. I’m freaking out.”

“Try and hold it together. You should call Conrad. Get him locked in before this goes any further.”

“That’s what Rosie said. That we need to line up a lawyer, just to be safe.” Even speaking his wife’s name while he is hiding in the bathroom of her family home, making this clandestine call, fills him with shame.

“And don’t go after Spencer,” Elly adds. “Don’t give anyone any more ammo.”

“I don’t get why you told him–“

“It slipped out! I said I’m sorry. I need to go, okay? Call Conrad and tell him what happened. Do you need his number?”

“Text it to me,” he says. He hates that his mind is even going to this place, but he considers that his phone records will show that he called Elly, so if she texts him Conrad’s contact information, it will seem plausible that that is the only reason he called her in the first place.

They end the call, and Travis pulls back the shower curtain, but he cannot bring himself to get undressed just yet. He stares into the steam-filled shower, breath held tightly in his chest, unable to ward off the fear that is flooding his system.

The rich scent of coffee hits Tempest Banks as soon as she pushes open the door that connects Edge of Winter Arena to Thaw Coffee & Tea. The café is quiet, save for a trio of elderly men in one corner, talking about the Seattle Mariners’ chances at the playoffs. Sienna Ridley is behind the counter in her ice-blue Thaw apron, straightening up the pastry display.

“Hey, stranger,” Sienna says as Tempest approaches. “It’s been a while.”

“Things have, uh, been crazy up in the office,” Tempest says, sticking her hands into her pockets.

“I bet.” Sienna closes the back of the pastry case. “Noelle’s actually with Isaac today. They’re trying out a two-day stay. It’s the first time.”

“That’s good. That’s good,” Tempest replies, a little distantly. She finds herself sizing up the other woman: is she actually what she presents? Can she be trusted?

As if reading her mind, Sienna says, “I know this is complicated. But you can trust me, Tempest. I swear.”

“I wanna believe that. But I’ve been burned before, Sienna.”

“Then take whatever time you need. But I miss our…” Sienna gestures over the register, moving her hands back and forth between them. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but we were becoming good friends.”

“We were,” Tempest says guardedly. “How’s Noelle been doing? With adjusting to Isaac and all that?”

“Pretty good, I think. She likes the idea of having a mommy and a daddy. Not together, I mean, but just knowing she has both. We’ve been reading a lot of books about how families can look different, that kind of thing.”

“Good. I need to stop by and see them. Check in on my niece.”

“She’d like that. And I would, too,” Sienna says with a soft smile. “It’s good for Noelle to have as many loving relatives around as possible.”

Tempest nods, feeling the tension between them dissipating.

“We need to catch up. I want to know what’s going on in your life,” Sienna says. “But in the meantime, what can I get you? Your usual?”

“Sounds great,” Tempest says.

Sienna turns to prepare Tempest’s drink, and for just a moment, her practiced smile morphs into something with more of a wicked edge. If everything goes according to plan, she thinks, we won’t just be friends again, Tempest — we’ll be sisters-in-law.

—–

In the well-lit corridor of the high-rise apartment building, Diane Bishop balances the paper takeout bag on her hip as she knocks on the door. Mere months later, it swings open, revealing Isaac Banks in a black t-shirt that showcases his broad chest.

“I come bearing lunch!” Diane announces.

“Shhhh. I just got Noelle down for her nap,” he says in a hushed tone. “Come on in.”

She steps inside as Isaac eases the door closed. The sweeping views of downtown King’s Bay, and the waterfront behind it, greet her immediately.

“That view really is breathtaking,” she says as Isaac takes the takeout bag from her. “You made an excellent choice.”

He grins. “It’s starting to feel like home.”

Careful to keep her voice low, Diane explains, “I picked up sandwiches from that artisanal cheese shop by the studio. I’ve been dying to try them.”

“You’re speaking my language,” Isaac says as he begins to unpack the bag on the quartz-topped island with its sleek waterfall edge. “How was the show this morning?”

She plants her hands on her hips and fixes an exaggerated frown on her face. “You mean you don’t listen to the KBAY morning show every single day?”

He laughs. “It was a lot of Bluey in here this morning.”

“Yeah, I don’t know if our traffic reports, plugs for the county fair, and 15 plays of the same song would be a toddler’s style.”

“Last night I did get her to eat peas without having a meltdown, so that’s something. I’m getting the hang of this dad thing.”

“You’re a natural.”

“I don’t know about that, but I’m trying,” he says quietly, but almost immediately, the peace in the apartment is punctured by a wail from the bedroom. It comes through the baby monitor simultaneously.

“Hold that thought. She’s not supposed to be awake this soon,” Isaac says. “Be right back.” He disappears into the second bedroom.

Diane begins to unwrap the sandwiches from the butcher paper. She can faintly hear Isaac’s voice consoling his daughter. Never did she think she would be back in the realm of naps, diapers, and the rest — at least not unless, or until, Samantha makes her a grandmother. But here she is.

She roots around in the kitchen cabinets to find two plates, doing her best to be quiet even as Noelle’s cries ring out.

—–

“Oh,” Finn finally says. “That.”

Alex’s inquiry hangs in the air, competing for space with the indie folk music playing through Cassie’s.

“I’ve been picking up these freelance styling gigs,” Finn explains. “Wardrobe consulting, closet overhauls, that kind of thing. A couple of contacts from my time at Objection had needs.”

“I guess it’s a good thing they weren’t aware of how you left Objection,” Alex says, a little caustically. “But I’m glad you’ve been able to stay afloat.”

“Yeah.” Finn downs the remainder of his iced matcha. “But those gigs have been drying up lately. So I guess I need to pound the pavement or hit the phones or whatever it is you’re supposed to do.” He, too, pushes out his chair and stands. Addressing Trevor, he says, “Thanks for letting me vent.”

“No problem,” Trevor says, frazzled by the quick lie and cover-up. “Good luck.”

“Thanks. See you later, Alex,” Finn says, and he slips away from the table, discarding his cup in the trash before exiting the coffee shop.

Trevor lets out a sigh. “Honestly, I was worried he was going to tell me that he wasn’t going to be able to make rent.”

Alex’s focus lingers on the front door of the coffee shop, through which Finn exited moments ago. “He might want to look into getting another roommate. Or we could find another tenant.”

“Yeah. Maybe.” Trevor forces a smile. “What were you gonna order? An iced coffee? I’ll get them for us.”

“You read my mind,” Alex says. “That’d be great. Thanks.”

Trevor gives his husband a soft peck on the lips. “Be right back.”

Alex sits down in the chair that Finn just vacated. He stares out the large window beside him, which looks out onto the parking lot, and watches Finn’s older-model BMW navigate out of the lot and onto the two-lane road that leads away from the coffee house. He hates feeling jealous or distrustful or suspicious; still, something about the closeness that he witnessed between Trevor and Finn doesn’t sit right. His brow creases faintly, even as he attempts to push the thoughts away.

END OF EPISODE 1268

Should Alex follow his instincts about Finn?
What did the police find at the Jimenez home?
Will Sienna accomplish her goals?
Talk about it all in the comments below!

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